Mechanism for truing distorted metal wheel rims



April 17, 1934.. E CONNOR 1,955,358

MECHANISM FOR TRUING DISTORTED METAL WHEEL RIMS Filed Nov. 21, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR 6 mg ATTORNEYS April 17, 1934- E. CONNOR 1,955,358

MECHANISM FOR TRUING DISTORTED METAL WHEEL RIMS Filed Nov. 21, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f7 6 INVENTOR ATTO N Patented Apr. 17, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT @FFICE MECHANISM FOR TRUING DISTORTED METAL WHEEL RIMS Application November 21, 1932, Serial No. 643,658

Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for truingup distorted metallic wheel rims, and has for its object an improved organization of parts by means of which such desired result can be brought 5 about with a minimum of eiiort as regards the necessary flexing of the web of the rim, whether the same be plain or centrally inbent or grooved, the latter being known in trade parlance as a drop-center rim. My improved mechanism lends itself to this desired result as well in the direction of the restoration of the wire spokes which may become bent to their initial and desired positions relatively to one another and to the web of the rim, without the necessity of destroying the overbent or headed end portions thereof, which extend to the outer surface of the rim, and when finally adjusted are designed to draw thereon with equal degrees of tension.

In many instances of damage to vehicle wheels, due to road collisions or the like, the injury lies fully as much in the direction of bending one sector of the wheel rim out of alignment with the original plane of the wheel as a whole, as it does in a distortion of the rim from true circularity. While my improved apparatus can in many instances be used for the correction of both of these kinds of rim distortion, it is particularly adapted for the first of the purposes just named, the restoration of a bent or laterally sprung rim sector to coincidence with the plane of the rim as a whole.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective of one form of my improved device, with a metal wheel structure in position thereon. Figure 2 is a perspective of a similar form of device, with its attachments, however, designed especially for working upon troughed or dropcenter rim surfaces.

Figure 3 is a plan view from above of a wheel positioned on a fragmentarily shown part of the corrective apparatus.

Figure 4 is a perspective of the table portion of a slightly modified form of rim-corrective apparatus.

Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective of the central stud or turret, about which the central axial aperture of the wheel structure is fitted, with broken-away portions of the table shown adjacent thereto.

Figure 6 is a large sectional elevational View, taken along the line 66 of Figure 3, and looking in the direction of the arrows there shown, of the central stud or wheel-holding turret, with a wire wheel indicated in position thereon, and

with the holding elements and bending column and jaw shown elevationally in position relatively thereto.

A indicates a table, supported upon standards B,

and from whose central portion rises a stud or turret C, of just sufiicient size to permit the fitting thereover of the central web D of a wire wheel E, some portion of whose normally circular peripheral rim has been distorted, particularly laterally or out of the plane or" the wheel as a whole, as by collision impact, and whose corrective truing is desired. At desired locations, leading inwardly from the edge of the table B, are slots or kerfs F, in which there are adapted to be adjustably fitted one or the other of the studs or rim-engaging pieces G, whose rollers H are designed to guidingly and confiningly engage the outer surface of the rim E; these studs may be secured in desired position by means of nuts (not shown) acting upon the under surface of thetable, and drawing upon the washers J, which marginally engage the top surface of the table, immediately on either side of the slots or kerfs F. Moreover, the studs G may, if desired, be screw-threaded in order to provide a certain amount of adjustability of the position of the rollers H relatively to the table top, and more particularly to compensate for variations in the breadth of various wheel rims which it may be desired to subject to the action of the device.

When the wheel whose truing is desired has been slipped in position over the post or turret C, the auxiliary roller-carrying studs or steadying clamps G are then moved radially inwardly or outwardly along their respective kerfs F, and their rollers H if necessary adjusted as to height, until they firmly engage the adjacent uninjured portions of the rims outer surface, when, cooperatively with the post C, they hold the wheel quite firmly in position over the table top A. The partly anchoring and partly bending or leverage member K is then quite similarly adjusted in position, at least as accurately as the distorted or flexed condition of that part of the wheel rim opposite which it is located will permit. The clamping jaw L is then fitted over or about the edges of the distorted rim sector; this jaw L is connected with and supported by the short intermediate lever piece M, which is in turn connected with the top end of the adjustable post or stud N, which extends through a suitable aperture in the table A, and is operatively connected with, and is actuatable by, any suitable form of gear box, as R, by means of which it may be raised or lowered with comparatively great power. The

details thereof it is not thought necessary to here go into, it being suflicient to suggest that the actuation of the post N up or down by the use of this mechanism may be efiected by hand actuation of the lever P or in any desired or equivalent manner.

Since the distorted wheel is already anchored, as described, at its center by the turret C and at a plurality of points on the uninjured part of the rim by the roller-tipped studs or steadying clamps G, when, for example, a downward draw is exerted upon the upwardly flexed portion of the rim engaged by the jaw L, the then immobile rim structure can only respond to the powerful draw by bending back toward realignment with the plane of the wheel as a whole, from which it had been forced by collision or similar accident. The point at which this drawing restoration of the rim sector into alignment is com pleted can be ascertained by use of the gauge Q, whose tip has first been positioned, by raising or lowering as the case may be, at the exact level of the corresponding lateral edge of the uninjured portion of the wheel rim, the wheel being turnable about the turret C as a center before the anchoring pieces G and more or less fulcruming piece K have been adjusted in position in the manner already described. And dependent on the nature and degree of the rims injury, the corrective piece working upon the inner surface of the wheel rim as its distorted portion is drawn into position by the powerful pull of the jaw L and its actuative stem N. Dependent, however, upon the nature and degree of the deformation present in the rim structure being worked upon, use of the more or less leverage element K may sometimes be omitted, and a straight draw by the jaw L and its gear-box actuated stem N alone relied upon to flex the distorted portion of the wheel rim back to true coincidence with the plane of the wheel as a whole.

The form of mechanism shown in Figure 2 is in most respects identical with that of Figure 1, except that in place of working upon a plain wheel rim, as E, it is designed to work upon a troughed or drop-center wheel rim, as E In this form obviously the members corresponding to the pieces K and L must be of variant contour for engaging the inner and outer surface of the wheel rim, and these are shown at T and S respectively. These parts are, however, supportable and actuatable in much the same manner as those already described in the form of apparatus shown in Figure 1, and the final checking or measuring finger Q and its stem Q remain substantially unchanged in form.

The slightly modified form of apparatus illustrated in perspective Figure 4 varies from what has already been shown and described, in that the table V, while having the same radial kerfs or slots U for the engagement of the studs G carrying the rollers H, has a pair of radial arms or levers W and X pivotally anchored to the central turret piece C, and limitedly swingable thereabout. These radial arm pieces preferably have their outer ends, as W and X, underbent to provide an adequately firm anchorage or seizure about the peripheral edge of the table V. On each of these there is designed to be supported a member quite similar to one or the other of the rim-corrective pieces K and L already described, as for example, Y and Z, each of which is supported upon a block, as Y, which is slidable along its lever arm so that it may be positioned at the desired radial distance from the center of the turret C and then clamped in position by some such mechanism as the jam nut Y That herein illustrated is the piece designed primarily for action upon the inner surface of the troughed or drop center wheel rim with its finger Y however, designed to augmentingly act upon the inner surface of the distorted wheel rim. Through the radial slot 0 a stem or stud, actuatable up or down by a similar gear box mechanism to that already described, extends to the level of the distorted or out-bent portion of the rims periphery which is located adjacent thereto, its top end supporting a rim-engaging jaw, similar to the element L already described, for seizure of the wheel rim before the downward draw of the stem begins under actuation from the gear box. The radial character of the slot 0 in the table A enables the device to be used at will for any wheel rim within a considerable diametrical range, without interference with its eflicient anchorage by the central turret C and the roller-capped studs G.

If, after a sufficient drawing action has effected the restoration of all parts of the rim to coincidence with the plane of the wheel as a whole, there still remain therein irregularities from true circularity, these may then be correctively trued out by leaving the drawing jaw as well as the stem-supported rollers in engagement with the now aligned wheel rim, though not sufliciently tightly to prevent an induced rotative movement of the wheel about the turret C. By this movement those parts of the wheel rim which have thus far bulged out past the line of true circularity are pressed or rolled down to the proper degree, While complementarily by the action of the member K upon the inner surface of the now comparatively slightly distorted wheel rim, those portions thereof which do not yet extend sufficiently outward radially to attain truly circular contour may be similarly forced outward.

What I claim is:

1. Mechanism for effecting the restoration of a distorted metallic wheel rim to truly circular contour, comprising, in combination with a supporting table and a central anchorage post rising thereabove, a pair of adjustable rim-engaging pieces adapted to correctively engage the inner and outer surfaces respectively of the wheel rim, a rim-seizing element adapted to operatively engage a portion of the rim remote from those portions engaged by said adjustable rim-engaging pieces, manually actuatable means operatively connected with said rim-seizing element and secured to said table, whereby a drawing influence may be exerted upon said rim-seizing element and resultantly upon its engaged portion of the rim, and a second rim-engaging element for selectively restricting the segmental extent upon the rim as a whole over which the corrective bending influence of said first-named element may extend.

2. In combination with a supporting table provided with a central post over which the hub of a wheel is adapted to be fitted, a plurality of rimengaging members supported by the table at spaced peripheral points about said central post and in radially adjustable relation thereto whereby the uninjured portion of a wheel rim may be held and by certain of which such portion may be protected against the reception of a bending strain, and manually actuatable means anchoredly positioned on one side of the table in opposingly spaced relation to said rim-engaging members, whereby the adjacent portion of the wheel rim may be operatively engaged and placed under form-corrective strain by a draw transverse to the plane of the wheel as a whole.

3. In combination with a supporting table provided with a central anchorage post over which the apertured center of a wheel hub may be rotatably positioned, a pair of rim-engaging members supported by said table in adjustable relation thereto and in spaced relation to one another, means supported by said table and adapted to operatively engage a portion of the wheel rim peripherally remote from those points contacted by said rim-engaging members, whereby a drawing influence may be exerted upon the rim in a direction generally perpendicular to the plane of the wheel as a whole, and selectively positionable means for preventing the undesired transmission to the uninjured portion of the wheel rim of strains applied to the deformed portion thereof.

4. Means for restoring a distorted wheel rim sector to the position of its initial coincidence with the plane of the wheel as a whole, comprising, in combination with a stabilizing table and adjustable means carried thereby for holding the wheel as a whole in temporarily immobile position thereupon, means adapted to operatively engage that portion of the wheel rim whose corrective bending is desired, manually operable means secured to said table and adapted to draw upon said last-mentioned means and its engaged wheel rim whereby a regulated bending strain may be imposed upon the latter, and regulatably positionable means whereby the imposed corrective strain upon the rim may be limited to a predetermined portion thereof.

5. In combination with a supporting base member including a centrally located wheel-hub-engaging post, a plurality of individually adjustable members supported by said member in position for operative engagement with relatively undistorted portions of the rim of a wheel positioned on said post, certain of said members serving as anchorage means and another of said elements being adapted to engage substantially the entire breadth of the wheel rim for effecting a limitation of the peripheral area thereof to which bending strains applied to another portion thereof maybe effective, means operatively connected with a portion of the table relatively remote from said individually adjustable members whereby substantially the entire breadth of a distorted portion of the wheel rim may be operatively engaged at a point adequately remote from said last named element, and manually operable means for effecting a draw upon said named member, thereby imposing a correctively bending strain upon that portion of the wheel rim adjacent thereto.

ERNEST CONNOR. 

